Integrated semiconductor circuit devices, often times referred to as chips, contain a variety of miniaturized electrical circuitry and are widely used on printed wiring circuit boards manufactured by the electronics and communications industry to form larger composite electrical circuits. A typical chip is a relatively small and fragile device commonly mounted on a ceramic substrate called a chip carrier. Electrical conducting leads generally extend outwardly from electrical circuitry of the chip and are coupled to a plurality of metallic conducting pads positioned on the chip carrier immediately adjacent each edge thereof. The chip, or the combination of the chip and the chip carrier, may be hermetically sealed to form an integrated circuit chip carrier component wherein electrical connections extend from the conducting pads, hereinafter referred to as terminals, adjacent the edges of the component to the electrical circuitry of the chip.
Mounting apparatus has been developed for use in mounting integrated circuit chip carrier components on printed wiring circuit boards, the combination of which are sometimes referred to as circuit packs, and interconnecting each of the component terminals with a portion of the board circuitry. Typically, the mounting apparatus comprises an insulated base member in which are mounted a series of aligned metallic electrical conducting members each designed to press against a terminal of a component mounted on the base member and establish an electrical connection between the component terminals and the printed wiring board circuitry. A problem arises in using this type of mounting apparatus in that the component mounting apparatus must be affixed to the printed wiring circuit board by soldering each component terminal to circuitry of the circuit board. In addition, elaborate retaining devices are required for use in holding a component on the mounting apparatus. In yet another type of mounting apparatus, fastening devices and frame structures are required for use in securing the component mounting apparatus to the printed wiring circuit board. Thus, these types of mounting apparatus greatly add to the cost of manufacturing printed wiring circuit boards.
Accordingly, a need exists for easily manufactured and low cost apparatus for mounting multiterminal components on printed wiring circuit boards. A need also exists for component mounting apparatus arranged for enabling the exchange of components on a printed wiring circuit board by easily removing one component from the mounting apparatus and installing another component to replace the removed component.